This invention relates to a method and apparatus for alleviating chronic musculoskeletal pain, especially lower back pain; and more particularly relates to a novel and improved apparatus for the biomechanical correction of gait and posture.
Human walking is a marvel of engineering. Few animal species are capable of bipedal locomotion; none walk with as much ease or efficiency as we do. When we walk, we use much less direct muscle energy than previously thought. In fact, EMG analysis has shown that the vast majority of muscle activity during walking is occurring in the swing limb. New research has demonstrated that the support limb is primarily a passive structure that our body simply moves over as we progress forward. This research has shown that normal human walking efficiently uses gravity, momentum and the elastic energy return of the spinal structures caused by counter-rotating shoulder and pelvis.
Although primarily a passive structure, our feet are the body's foundation during standing and walking and are the only parts of our bodies to interact with the ground. Epidemiologists have studied the incidence of both common back problems and common foot problems in both developed and undeveloped societies. They have found a direct relationship between the hard, flat, unforgiving floor or ground surfaces and the increased incidence of common foot and back problems.
Normal human cadence is 90-120 steps per minute. This translates into 5400-7200 steps per walking hour. Each foot, in turn, accepts, transfers then propels the body and weight forward. When the various mechanisms in the foot begin to fail, the effects on the body are predictable. With the loss of functional symmetry, the various muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, etc. involved in posture and locomotion undergo repetitive motion injury caused when one side works too hard while the other words too little. Although these events are individually small, they are magnified by the effects of repetition.
Although many patients with gait abnormalities experience pain in the foot and/or ankle, many more do not. In these patients, the only symptoms of abnormal gait are their postural pains. For example:
Leg: Cramps, shin splits, growing pains, etc. PA1 Knee: Joint pain, ligament strain, etc. PA1 Hip: Joint pain, ligament strain, etc. PA1 Back: Low back pain, SI pain, sciatica disc pain, facet syndrome, muscle spasm, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, etc. PA1 Neck: Disc pain, trigger points, muscle spasm, muscle tension, headache, myofascial pain, fibromyalgia, etc. PA1 Shoulder: Muscle spasm, trigger points, myofascial pain, fibromyalgia, etc.
In the past, problems associated with gait and posture abnormalities have been solved using various techniques including surgery, acupuncture, acupressure, pain relief medicine, etc. However, attempts to solve those problems using one of the aforementioned techniques do not always effect a permanent relief or cure, particularly where the underlying cause of such problems has to do with abnormalities in gait and posture. It has been common practice for podiatrists to prescribe orthotics for the correction of improper foot mechanics, undue pressure in certain regions of the foot or unbalanced pressure between the feet. However, to the best of my knowledge, no one has devised an effective, accurate system or procedure to correct for abnormalities in gait and posture in order to alleviate chronic musculoskeletal pain of the types described. For example, PCT Application WO94/20020 published Sep. 15, 1994 is directed to a method and apparatus for recording characteristics of a person's foot through the utilization of a combination of video images from the underside, front, rear and side of the feet and multiplexing those images to provide a single combined signal which can be analyzed geometrically to ascertain the characteristics of the person's feet.
European Patent EP074231 discloses an apparatus for conducting dynamic podologic studies with the use of cameras and mirror. U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,454 to D. Fuglewicz et al is directed to a continuous foot-strike measuring system and method which broadly suggests the use of video analysis but is concerned more with the use of two force plates in tandem in combination with sensor elements to sense where the force is applied. U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,293 to B. V. Anderson et al discloses a method and apparatus for recording gait analysis in podiatric design and treatment with the use of video and sound recording. U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,436 to J. C. Au is directed to a motion analysis system employing various operating modes through the use of a pair of cameras, strobe light and pressure mat. Other representative patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,894,437 to J. L. Hagy et al, 4,267,728 to M. T. Manley et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,717 to A. Pedotti, U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,016 to T. L. Boyd et al and German Patent DE4027317. Prior art systems fall short of providing the necessary diagnosis and video analysis of the whole body of each patient to prescribe the proper orthotics or biomechanical correction of gait and posture in order to alleviate chronic pain of the type described and overcome repetitive motion injury resulting from abnormalities in gait and posture.